Safe Travels
by SuperMegaFoxyAwesomeHot
Summary: In which Kurt is a reluctant car sleeper and Blaine is obscenely Prince Charming-esque.
**Many thanks to skivvysupreme for supplying a lot of this scenario.**

* * *

Kurt was always surprised by how unsafe of a driver his father was for a mechanic. It wasn't uncommon for him to yell "Dad! Slow down!" multiple times during a drive, usually while clinging to the safety handle above the passenger side window. All the passing and lack of braking made Kurt resist his tendencies to get sleepy on car rides, instead choosing to chug coffee and stay awake for any long drives, claiming that it was safer if two people were always awake in a car in case of emergencies.

Driving with the New Directions wasn't any better, as everyone tended to get distracted while singing along to the radio and forgot to watch for brake lights or reckless drivers on the freeway. Kurt had resigned himself to a lifetime of being stressed out in cars after joining the glee club, investing in calming yoga DVDs and a good massage therapist.

Then he met Blaine. Charming, handsome, _great driver_ Blaine.

"How did some of these people even get their licenses?" Blaine asked one day as they drove to the Lima Bean. He had insisted on driving, so Kurt had resigned himself to another day of high blood pressure and panic even though the drive from McKinley to the coffee shop was only about seven minutes long. "I swear, the DMV has no standards these days."

Kurt just let out a long exhale as Blaine flawlessly avoided a speeding sedan, leaving more than enough room between themselves and the car in front of them the whole time. "I assume everyone just bribes the instructor as they take the driver's test."

"You're probably onto something," Blaine replied, smiling but not taking his eyes off the road. He slowed carefully before actually using his blinker to indicate that he was going to turn into the Lima Bean's parking lot, making Kurt's heart flutter a little - for so long, he'd been the only person he knew who consistently used their turn signal. "Ready for our coffee date?"

"Absolutely," Kurt responded with a genuine smile. He reached out and twined Blaine's hand with his as they walked into the coffee shop, giving it a gentle squeeze. At Blaine's questioning look, he just shook his head and gestured for Blaine to go in first, which Blaine did with a smile and a return squeeze of Kurt's hand.

* * *

Five years later, some of Kurt's old jitters were coming back as he followed Blaine out to their rental car. They were about to drive from Kurt's parents' house in Lima to Pam's house in Westerville before attending the reopening ceremonies for Dalton, and this trip would be the longest they'd ever taken in a car together. When he realized that fact, his nerves instantly started buzzing around his stomach.

 _Breathe, Kurt_ , he told himself firmly, folding himself into the passenger seat and trying not to feel like a prisoner as he snapped his seat belt into place. _Blaine's a great driver._

 _When he's going short distances_ , a contrary part of his brain fired back. _How do you know he doesn't lose all his decorum once he hits the freeway?_

Kurt scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You okay?" Blaine asked, flicking his gaze briefly over to Kurt before turning his full focus back to the road.

"Yeah, yeah, just...gonna miss my dad," Kurt said lamely. "Watch out for that- oh."

"I see it," Blaine said, sounding a little amused as he stopped them so perfectly at the red light that Kurt didn't feel any force snapping him back into the headrest. He rubbed over Kurt's thigh briefly until the light changed, when he waited until he had both hands back on the wheel before accelerating toward the on ramp for the freeway.

"You excited to see Dalton?" Kurt asked, needing to change the subject. "I'd like to see if they rebuilt our staircase."

"We'll have to sneak off and see," Blaine said, a bright smile appearing on his face. He started chattering about the construction details he'd seen online and the photos his mom had texted him whenever she'd driven by the campus, allowing Kurt to chime in with concurring hums or questions about other details without having to think too much.

Of course, the downside of that topic was that it didn't keep Kurt very alert. The flat, vaguely gray landscape of Ohio also didn't help, and soon enough, he was fighting to stay awake.

Kurt stretched his legs as far as he could in the confines of the front seat before curling them back against the seat and dropping his head against the window. With his eyes closed, he barely knew Blaine was driving, the trip was so smooth. The only indication that they were moving was Blaine quietly singing along with the radio - he'd be much louder if they were back in their apartment, unafraid of missing an ambulance siren or screeching set of brakes as he belted the latest Top 40 hits.

The soft tones of Blaine's voice broke down the last of Kurt's defenses against sleeping. He let himself drift off, feeling a sense of contentment and safety settle around him like a blanket as he finally relaxed fully in a car for possibly the first time in his life.

 _I could get used to this_ , he thought, feeling a tiny smile slip onto his face as he sunk closer and closer to sleep. _I really could_.

* * *

Blaine was so focused on driving and doing justice to the latest Adele single that he didn't notice Kurt had fallen asleep until they were pulling into his mom's driveway.

"Kurt - oh," he said, finally looking over at his husband. "Well, that explains why you weren't singing along."

He felt his heart swell in his chest as he took in Kurt's slightly mussed state - head and torso resting against the door, one hand up close to his face like it could block out the few rays of sunlight that were still left in the sky. Kurt looked so _peaceful_ at that moment, which was kind of unusual for him when he was in a car. He tried to hide it, but Blaine knew he had some control issues whenever he was in the passenger seat (and some road rage when he was the driver). The fact that he'd been lulled to sleep by Blaine's driving made Blaine feel absurdly accomplished.

Kurt snuffled and rolled over, curling up against the seat back and snoozing on. Blaine took that moment to quietly unbuckle himself and get out of the car, walking over to the passenger side to reach in and unbuckle Kurt as well.

"Hey, baby," he whispered, watching Kurt's eyelids flutter open. "We're here."

He leaned in and stole a quick kiss before putting Kurt's arms around his own neck.

"Wh-" Kurt mumbled, not quite firing on all cylinders. He clumsily wrapped his legs around Blaine's waist as Blaine started straightening and walking toward the house.

"Shh. I've got you. Go back to sleep," Blaine said soothingly, rubbing as best he could over Kurt's shoulderblade.

Kurt grunted like he wanted to argue but slumped against Blaine's shoulder anyway, much more susceptible to suggestions when he was half-asleep. Blaine shifted his grip and kept walking, grateful that his mom was there to open the front door when he made it to the porch.

"Long drive?" she asked, quirking her head to the side.

"Yeah, a little," Blaine said. He pressed his lips together to stifle his own yawn, starting to feel tired himself with all the discussion of sleep cropping up around him.

Pam's eyes softened as she shut the door behind them. "Go take a nap, honey bee. Dinner can be reheated when you're both ready."

"You sure, Mom?" Blaine asked, though he started edging toward the hall.

"Yes, now go," Pam said, making a chivvying hand motion. "I can entertain myself."

Blaine listened to his mom and headed down the hall, depositing Kurt gently on the guest bed (though he still let out a displeased grumble at the loss of Blaine's body heat) before taking off both of their shoes and climbing in next to him.

The next thing he knew, the room was darker and Kurt was kissing his forehead.

"You could've just let me walk inside, you know."

"And make you deal with my mother half-asleep and disoriented? I don't think so."

"Thank you," Kurt said before leaning in and kissing Blaine again, this time on the lips.

"For what?" Blaine replied, confused - the sincerity of Kurt's tone seemed a little much for just carrying him inside the house.

"Always making sure I'm safe." Kurt looked like he would have continued, but then both of their stomachs rumbled in unison, making him snort. "Dinner?"

"Yes, please."

Kurt refused to leave the room until Blaine let him give him a piggyback ride down the hall in return, both of them laughing the whole time.


End file.
